Buick LeSabre — H-body (sixth generation) (1986–1991)
The sixth-generation LeSabre was Buick's front-wheel-drive H-body coupe and sedan for the 1986–1991 model years, built at Flint, Michigan (Wikipedia). The NICB VIN manuals print the car lines as the LeSabre Custom and Limited, and the 1991 manual spells the name "Le Sabre". No GM order guide, data book, Heritage kit or service RPO list for this generation is in the archive, and no Chevrolet kit shares its platform, so only engine codes are listed: Wikipedia's Buick LeSabre and Buick V6 engine articles name and date them, and gnttype.org's 1986 and 1987 Buick VIN tables print LG3, the 3.8 L fuel-injected V6, for the LeSabre. No source read ties a transmission, axle, option, package, paint or trim code to this LeSabre with a year, so none is listed.
Codes
Engines
| Code | Description | Years | Models/Notes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG3 | Engine, 3.8L (231 cu in) V6, sequential fuel injection (VIN 3) | 1986–1987 | 150 hp; Wikipedia's LeSabre infobox gives the slash form "LG2/LG3" and its Buick V6 engine article lists the LeSabre for 1986–1987 under a combined "LG2/LG3" heading, so neither names LG3 for this car (a slash form names neither code); gnttype.org's 1986 and 1987 Buick VIN tables each print the 3.8L V6 SFI, engine option code LG3, for the LeSabre Custom and Limited, but the two LeSabre blocks print the same engine cell and differ only in body type and a restraint field, so they are one source; the 1986 NICB manual prints a 3.8L V6 fuel-injected engine with VIN 3 but no RPO codes | single-source |
| LN7 | Engine, 3.0L (181 cu in) V6, multiport fuel injection (VIN L) | 1986 | 125 hp; the standard engine for 1986 (Wikipedia's LeSabre article), which also dates it with the Buick V6 engine article's LeSabre list (1986 only); gnttype.org's tables print LN7 only for the Somerset, not the LeSabre, so no second source | single-source |
| LN3 | Engine, 3.8L (231 cu in) V6, 3800, balance shaft (VIN C) | 1988–1991 | 165 hp in 1988, 170 hp in 1991 with tuned port injection; replaced the optional 3.8 L for 1988 (Wikipedia's LeSabre article); the Buick V6 engine article lists the LeSabre for 1988–1991, but a second Wikipedia article is not independent; gnttype.org's VIN tables end at 1987 and the NICB manuals print no RPO codes | single-source |
Sources
Factory documents (T1)
No Buick factory document for the 1986–1991 LeSabre is in docs/factory-docs/ or docs/heritage-ocr/, and the brief lists no Chevrolet Heritage kit for this platform, so no row carries an [FD] or [HK] citation.
Other sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_LeSabre — sixth-generation infobox, engine and year notes, production table (retrieved 2026-11-05 as wikitext, action=raw)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_V6_engine — LN7, LG2/LG3 and LN3 applications and VIN letters (retrieved 2026-11-05 as wikitext, action=raw)
- http://www.gnttype.org/general/vin.html — per-year Buick VIN tables, the 1986 and 1987 LeSabre blocks (T3 second source, owner ruling 2026-11-05); read from the Wayback snapshot http://web.archive.org/web/20250816121631/http://www.gnttype.org/general/vin.html (retrieved 2026-11-05)
- NICB Passenger Vehicle Identification Manual, GM sections (T4):
docs/reference/nicb/nicb1986-gm.txtpp. 37–38 andnicb1991-gm.txtp. 35, read on the page images — LeSabre Custom and Limited car lines (1986 manual; 1987–1991 columns of the 1991 manual), body types and engine VIN letters